Ji Shileng instinctively looked away. Qin Si’s gaze was too intense, as though it could pierce straight through him.
The night was cool, and even their shadows seemed to grow heavy.
Remembering something, he frowned and asked:
“Did you bring bodyguards on this trip?”
Qin Si tempered the thick possessiveness in his eyes.
“Do you need bodyguards? I’ll contact a security company right now”
With that, he took out his communicator and began searching.
He had misunderstood.
Ji Shileng looked up at Qin Si, intending to explain.
From his angle, the cool white glow of the screen illuminated Qin Si’s face, accentuating his thin lips and straight nose. Indifference and composure mingled in his eyes.
For a moment, Ji Shileng forgot to speak. Only when Qin Si met his gaze did he think: Oh, no. He caught me staring.
“Are you that worried?”
Fortunately, Qin Si misunderstood again.
Ji Shileng blinked.
“Worried about what?”
“With me here, no one will bully you”
Qin Si reassured him without specifying what he thought he was worried about.
What else could it be?
Apart from retaliation from the brainless Empire and the petty Shang family, Qin Si could think of nothing else.
After all, not everyone possessed a functioning brain.
Aside from those who did not, who would dare confront the Ji family head-on?
Ji Shileng hesitated, weighing his words before asking:
“Did you hear what I said to Mrs. Shang on the balcony?”
From where Qin Si had been standing, he would have had a clear view of everything between them.
Shang Jianli probably would not do anything to him.
The problem was that every other member of the Shang family was a nuisance.
Qin Si shook his head, entirely honest.
“No. The door was closed. I couldn’t hear anything”
Then he explained:
“I stood there because I was afraid Mrs. Shang might hurt you”
If she showed any intention of becoming violent, he could rush forward immediately to protect Ji Shileng.
“I see”
Ji Shileng felt a little awkward, then returned to his original point.
“What I meant was, I don’t need bodyguards. You do”
Qin Si’s hand paused over his contacts.
“I need bodyguards?”
“Yes”
Sitting upright in his wheelchair, Ji Shileng explained with complete seriousness:
“Look at your situation. You have no one backing you, and you’re not even a regular member of the Federation’s staff”
As he spoke, he watched Qin Si’s expression, afraid his words might offend him.
“I’m worried Shang Jianli and the others will retaliate against you”
Putting Shang Jianli in his place earlier had certainly felt satisfying.
But thinking back on it now made him terribly uneasy.
They were on the Empire’s turf, after all. With the advantage of home ground, retaliating against someone would be easy.
Besides, as far as Ji Shileng could remember, Shang Jianli had never been left so humiliated.
The night breeze stirred Ji Shileng’s hair, making it look impossibly soft.
Understanding dawned on Qin Si. His fingers curled slightly before he restrained himself to straightening Ji Shileng’s suit.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll take responsibility for the consequences of my own actions”
Ji Shileng disagreed.
“What do you mean, take responsibility yourself? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have clashed with Shang Jianli”
“I’m very happy that you’re worried about me. But Xiaoshi, you have to trust me”
Qin Si’s voice was warm and gentle.
“Trust that I can handle it”
Ji Shileng frowned and studied him for several seconds.
Qin Si remained firm, unwilling to yield.
Ji Shileng opened his mouth, then swallowed the words he had been about to say.
How was he supposed to persuade him?
By saying he had just transferred to the Federation, knew no one, and had nobody looking out for him?
Or that he had neither parents nor anyone to stand behind him?
Neither would sound right.
With no other choice, Ji Shileng conceded.
“All right, then. But if you run into anything you can’t handle yourself, you have to tell me”
Otherwise, they would simply remain at an impasse, neither willing to give way. It would be pointless, a waste of time.
“All right”
Qin Si smiled faintly.
He wanted to stroke Ji Shileng’s hair, but he could not.
A little longer. If he waited a little longer, there would be a chance.
Qin Si took out his keys and unlocked the car, looking down at him.
“If there’s something you want to say, say it. You don’t need to worry about my feelings”
He paid so much attention to Ji Shileng. How could he have missed his earlier hesitation?
Ji Shileng tilted his head.
“All right”
Then he fell silent again.
Qin Si waited for quite some time without hearing another word and finally took the initiative.
“So, you’re not going to share what you wanted to say earlier?”
“No, I’m not”
Ji Shileng answered quickly.
“Today, Xiaoshi has secrets”
“All right. Today, Xiaoshi has secrets”
Qin Si did not press him. Shielding Ji Shileng’s view, he opened the car door.
While Ji Shileng took out his communicator to check the time, Qin Si retrieved a large bouquet from the passenger seat.
He bent before the wheelchair, his head slightly lowered.
The pristine white flowers gave off a delicate fragrance that drifted toward Ji Shileng.
Communicator in hand, he neither spoke nor reached for the bouquet.
“I originally planned to give these to you as soon as we met”
Qin Si’s breathing grew quieter.
“But I was afraid giving you flowers in front of everyone would put you in an awkward position”
Ji Shileng already attracted enough attention, especially over his entanglement with Shang Jianli.
Qin Si feared that this bouquet might draw him into another endless round of romantic rumors.
“So I’m giving them to you when it’s just the two of us. I hope this won’t make you uncomfortable”
Something difficult to name crept into Qin Si’s soft laugh.
Like flowers glimpsed through mist, Ji Shileng could not quite make it out.
He could not grasp what Qin Si was thinking.
Ji Shileng lowered his eyes. Droplets still clung to the pure white petals, their rounded surfaces glittering all the more clearly beneath the moonlight.
He asked in confusion:
“Why do you think I won’t turn you down?”
Thank heavens, Ji Shileng had finally recognized what kind of flowers they were.
“Then do you want to turn me down?”
Qin Si did not make things difficult for him. Instead, he encouraged him to express what he truly wanted.
“It’s all right if you do. I’ve told you how I feel. That’s enough”
The point of giving flowers was not the flowers themselves, but expressing one’s feelings.
Ji Shileng thought for a moment, then asked:
“If I refuse, what will happen to this bouquet?”
Qin Si’s eyes never strayed toward the flowers. He answered earnestly:
“In the end, flowers can only wither and fall back to the earth”
Then he added:
“Even if my feelings are rejected, at least I’ve shown them to you”
Fear of rejection was no reason to give up trying.
Leave a Reply